Manufacture of seamless hollow articles



July 22, 1941.

W. G. F. WESTBRQOKE MANUFACTURE OF SEAMLESS HOLLOW ARTICLES Fil ed March 25, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTOH F) y Z w. G. F. WESTBROOKE 2,250,338

MANUFACTURE OF SE-QMLESS HOLLOW ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Filed March 25, 1940 mm M QWNNM //)\NWN./ E. @NWW W M L; 3 v.

R v w v TH 1 Patented July 22, 1941 MANUFACTURE OF SEAMLESS HOLLOW ARTICLES William George Frederick Westbrooke, London, England, assignor, by mesneassignments, to Omes (Continental) Limited, Barnes, London,

England Application March 25, 1940, Serial No. 325,855 In Great Britain March 21, 1939 10 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in a machine and in dies used in manufacturing seamless hollow bodies from solid billets, wherein a punch is driven into a heated metallic billet thereby Widening out the latter to a shape determined by the conformation of the particular punch and the die used. These perforated billets which may be designated as unfinished raw products are adapted to be passed through drawing tools by means of suitable mandrels and thereby given the desired outer diameter or conformation.

One object of my invention is to increase the hourly output of the machine and thus reduce the elfective operating time required in the manufacture of the hollow bodies; a further object is to provide a machine and dies shaped and designed to provide a higher operating safety and ensure a longer life of the highly strained portions of the machine and of the dies. Further features and details will appear clearly from the following description.

One means for attaining the said object is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine showing, in a partial section, that part of the machine in which the perforated billets are moved through the drawing rings;

Figure 2 shows, likewise in elevation and in partial section in a plane parallel to that of Fig. 1, that part of the machine in which the hollow bodies are formed by piercing the billet by a punch while centered in a die;

Figure 3 is a section of such die or a matrix shown schematically in open position and having a billet ready to be pierced located therein;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one half of a matrix having inserts forming a lining embedded therein, and

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the other half-matrix for co-operating with that of Figure Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The machine proper comprises a base or ground frame I and a geared reduction wheel drive 2, 3, 4. There are two wheels 4 mounted on the same shaft 5| which passes through a member 52 of the frame of the machine, in which it is journaled. In the center of the shaft 5| adjacent to the frame 52 is a crank-pin 53 connected by link 54 to oscillating lever 55. The lever 55 is join-ted at 56 to connecting rod 51 and the connecting rod is hinged to a cross-head which carries the horizontally-reciprocating piercing punch 5. The piercing punches 5 of which a plurality may if desired be mounted on the same driving mechanism one above another, are adapted to enter within dies which are each constituted by a pair of swage jaws arranged to be brought together to position a billet and by a head portion 1.

The jaws 8 and 9 (Figure 3) forming the die are.

' ing rod 12 carried by one of the gear wheels 4.

The billets after being pierced by the mandrel 5 may thus, as will be readily understood, be easily placed upon the raised drawing mandrels whereupon the latter are caused to return by a swiveling movement about the pivot 6|] into a horizontal plane and push the billet through the drawing dies Ila, llb, Ho and lid. A safety bolt I3 is lodged within the connecting rod l2 which is divided for this purpose and connected by the bolt so that should any excessive strain occur, the bolt will be shorn 01f and thus any possible damage to the machine itself is prevented.

In the machine according to the invention a very high output of hollow bodies may be attained provided, of course, that the highly stressed parts of the machine and, more particularly, the dies are designed and constructed to be capable of remaining in proper working condition during a sufiic-iently long period of time, as otherwise the advantages of rapid operation, as realized by means of my invention, would be nullified due to the frequent stops of the machine necessitated on changing these parts as they become deteriorated.

This rigidity and durability of the highly stressed parts is attained by the construction illustrated in Figures 3 to 5. The parts of the jaws 8, Qupon which the glowing billet is carried, 1. e. those parts which are subjected to the greatest strains, are provided with carrier members on which the billet is supported before the dies come together. These inserts have the form of projections l4 adapted to engage corresponding recesses l5 of the other jaw. With the same object the swage jaws may be provided with interchangeable liners. The projection l4 and recesses l5 do not extend continuously along the whole length of the matin surfaces I8, 19 of the jaws 8, 9 and this permits the metal to be stronger than would be the case if the lip [6 above the recess I were thinned off along the whole length of the junction line between the hollow die-surface proper and the mating surfaces I8, l9.

As can be seen from Figures 4 and 5, the complete die comprises two half portions or swagejaws 8, 9 which are provided with removable liners H I, H2 and these, when brought together, provide between them a substantially cylindrical inner surface 43. The liners Ill, H2 are held in the swage-jaws 8, 9 by means of securing plates 3 I, 32 recessed into the jaws 8, 9 respectively and held in place by screws 33. The plates overlap the edges of the liners as shown in the drawings.

The liners of the swage-jaws are shaped to mate together along upper and lower junction lines 44 and 45 respectively. From the junction lines 44, 45 the mating surfaces [8, l 9 extend outwardly in a direction which is almost radial. The swage-jaw liner H2 is provided with a step 48 which projects from the mating surface l9 at some distance below the junction line and the swage-jaw liner III has a corresponding recess 49. Similarly, in the upper portion the liner H I has a step 29 and the liner H2 has a recess 2!, the two jaws with their liners which form part of them being thus similar and complementary to each other. On the lower step 48 are two carrier elements M which are shOWn as being of semicircular section and slightly recessed into the step 48. The upper surfaces 23 of the carrier elements form tangential extensions of the inner surface 43 of the liner H2. The carrier elements l4 may be held in position by screws.

In the liner l H there are recesses I5 cut in the mating surface l to accommodate the carrier elements l4 whenthe swage-jaws 8, 9 are brought together.

It will be seen that as the upper surfaces of the carrier elements extend along only a small portion'of the junction line 45 the bulk of the inner swaging or die-surfaces 43 along this line is well supported by metal beneath it and even the portion, of the swaging surface which immediately overlies the recesses l5 receives support from the adjacent metal on each side of the recess and is strengthened thereby so that it is not so liable to become broken as in previous swage-jaws where a thin edge of metal extended along the whole length of the junction line of the jaw.

It will be understood that when after long use the metal over the recesses l5 becomes worn, other recesses may be cut in the mating surface 46 of the liner 2 and carrier elements may be secured upon the step 29 of the liner Hi, the two liners being then inverted and thus rendered capable of re-use in the jaws 8, 9 over a further period of time. If desired, the additional carrier elements and recesses can be provided in the liners ab initio instead of being cut afterwards.

Inemploying the swage-jaws above described, the billet is placed on the carrier elements l4 when the jaws are opened apart from one another and is thereby held at such an elevation that it is properly centered between the jaws when they are brought together. The blocks M can be replaced when worn. As shown in the drawings, it is preferred to make the semi-cylindrical blocks l4 somewhat tapered as this facilitates their entry into the recesses.

Clearly, if desired, more than two carrier elefacilitate the support of billets of varying length in one and the ame die.

I claim:

1. In a machine for manufacturing seamless hollow bodies from solid billets the combination of at least one piercing punch, a crank-shaft, driving means, therefor, means for actuating said punch from the crank-shaft, swage-jaws associated with said punch at least one of said swagejaws being movable transversely, actuating means {for said swage-jaws and operative means between ments may be provided in one block so as to the same and said shaft for moving the jaws transversely relatively to one another when a billet is inserted therebetween so as to center the billet, interchangeable liners in said swage-jaws, drawing mandrels, operative connections between said drawing mandrels and said driving mechanism, and drawing dies associated with said drawing mandrels so that the billets after being pierced may be placed upon the drawing mandrels and drawn to final size while still hot from the piercing operation.

2. In a machine-for manufacturing seamless hollow bodies from solid billets the combination of at least one mechanically actuated piercing punch, a die associatedtherewith for holding before the punch the billet to be pierced, a set of drawing mandrels and drawing dies associated therewith, a driving shaft, operative connections from said shaft to operate both said punch and said drawing mandrels, and a safety device in said operative connections breakable in the event said parts are overstrained.

3. In a machine for manufacturing seamless hollow bodies from solid billets, the combination of a driving shaft, at least one mechanicallyactuated piercing punch, associated with each punch, a die formed of swage-jaws which can be brought together to position the billet, at least one of each pair of jaws being movable and actuated by the driving shaft, a set of drawing mandrels with associateddrawing dies to complete the shape of the pierced billets, a connecting rod between the shaft and a crosshead actuating the drawing mandrels, a breakable connecting member forming part of said connecting rod to act as a safety device, and interchangeable liners in said jaws.

4. A die of the type set forth wherein the mating surfaces of the swage-jaws are shaped to butt together along their lower junction lines with the forming surfaces, a plurality of carrier elements are providedlbetween the jaws at separated positions along the junction line of one jaw and recesses are provided in the other jaw in the mating surface thereof to receive the carrier elements when the jaws are closed together.

.5. A die. as claimed in, claimA, wherein the mating surfaces are formed in liners forming part of the swage-jaws, which liners are removable from the main parts of the jaws so as to be interchangeable with otherv liners or readily renewable when required.

6. A die of the type set forth, wherein the mating surfaces of the swage-jaws are shaped to butt together along their lower junction lines with the forming surfaces, a plurality of carrier elements, constituted by projections from the metal of one jaw extending toward the other jaw, are provided at separated positions along the junction line of one jaw and recesses are provided in the other jaw in the mating surface thereof to receive the carrier elements when the jaws are closed together.

7. A die of the type set forth, wherein the mating surfaces of the swage-jaws are shaped to butt together along their lower junction lines with the forming surfaces, the mating surface of one jaw below said junction line is provided with 'a step extending therefrom toward the other jaw, the step carries on its upper surface carrier elements at separated positions along the junction line and the other jaw comprises recesses adapted to receive said carrier elements when the jaws are closed together.

8. A die as claimed in claim '7 wherein the mating surfaces along the upper junction lines of the die are made similar to those along the lower junction lines so that when the die with its carrier elements becomes unduly worn through use along the lower junction lines, it may be inverted for further use.

9. A die as claimed in claim 7, wherein the carrier elements are tapered for the purpose described.

10. In a machine for manufacturing seamless hollow bodies from solid billets comprising a mechanically actuated piercing punch, the combination with the punch of swage-jaws for grasping and centering billets relatively to the punch, said sWage-jaws having liners to provide the die centering surface and means to hold the liners in place in the swage-jaws comprising clamping plates let into the faces of the swage-jaws and having portions which overlap the edges of the liners.

WILLIAM GEORGE FREDERICK WESTBROOKE. 

